When you're standing at the Pearly Gates and St. Peter is busy discussing his novel with Miss Snark.

Look, writing is supposed to be hard. It's supposed to be utter agony. If it were easy, there would be no trees left at all, and what would Killer Yapp whizz on in Central Park?

If you must write, if you love to write, if writing makes you understand yourself or the world better; if writing is prayer; if writing is fun; if writing is what you think about when you see something strange or wonderful in this old world, then write.

If it's never published, so be it. YOU will have loved, understood, empathized, prayed, rejoiced and enjoyed. In the end, that's all that matters.

Heh-heh...if only I could remember *ONE* of the thousand great book ideas I've had over the years...wake up with the thing half-written in my mind, roll-out, plod to the kitchen, grope for the coffee makins', and forget the whole shebang before the first sip. Every damn time.

Try a work-around, put a pad and pencil by the lamp. Wake up and grab the pencil. Think "wow, what a neat invention--cheap, user-friendly, muscle-powered, a mere glance tells ya all you need to know--how much pencil is left, how sharp's the point, how much eraser is left--hey, ain't it cool, eraser is right out there on the other end from the point! Now. What was I gonna do with, again? Ah, jeez...I forgot."